Headstrong
by writerintheday
Summary: Duchess is stubborn, but so is Lizzie. And Lizzie is determined to win her over.


The first time Lizzie told Duchess how she felt, she was turned down.

The swan princess squawked and let Lizzie know that a Wonderlandian princess could not possibly understand her, let alone like her. She danced away gracefully, not giving it a second thought.

But Lizzie is not one to give up.

The Wonderlandian princess is bold and gets what she wants. And what she wants now is Duchess.

Every single day, Lizzie has tossed a casual 'Go out with me?" to Duchess. Duchess gives her an indignant look and says, "No!" every time, annoyed with Lizzie's persistence.

Kitty has asked her friend many times what she sees in the sarcastic girl. And Lizzie never knows how to answer, because there are so many things that she can't pinpoint just one exactly.

Part of it is definitely her looks. Duchess has the gracefulness that no one else can have. Her waves of hair frame her face in a way that astonishes Lizzie, and her hazel eyes are bright and stunning. Her arched eyebrows give some people the expression of a cruel girl, but Lizzie knows how soft Duchess is underneath her mask. Her body has smooth, perfect curves that are complimented wonderfully by her usual light lavender dress.

But there's more.

Duchess is determined and strives hard in everything that she attempts. The swan princess has a clear and focused mind- she won't give up, no matter what. The aspiring girl is also extremely loyal. She'll do anything to stand by a friend, as long as she still has her pride. She loves beautiful things and just wants to fit in.

Lizzie loves everything about her, and she won't take no for an answer.

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Duchess royally despises Lizzie's advances towards her.

A lowly Wonderland princess wanting a highly esteemed princess, daughter of the Swan Queen- how dare she! What would people think?

The graceful girl does not return Lizzie's feelings, definitely not. She _doesn't_ admire the way Lizzie paints the red heart on her face each and every morning without fail. She doesn't love her rosy cheeks, or the bright blue eyes set against red. She doesn't enjoy trying to figure out Lizzie's riddlish or the invitations to play cards or practice croquet. She _hates_ how proud she is about her story, and how her melodic voice goes, 'Off with your head!" every so often for no reason at all. Yes, Duchess Swan definitely carries no feelings for Lizzie at all.

How dare that girl ask her out every day, and sometimes even in front of others? It's beginning to taint her reputation- people have started to notice and smile as if they know something she doesn't. Which they don't, of course.

Faybelle shares Duchess's annoyance. The few times that Lizzie asked her out in front of Faybelle, the dark fairy went off at her. Lizzie just stood there, shouted "Off with your head!" and walked away. And Duchess definitely does _not_ admire that.

Duchess wonders when the other girl will give up. This has been going on for a few weeks now and Lizzie never misses a day.

That girl just won't stop, will she?

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"The crown upside down can soon come around." Lizzie says, looking Duchess in the eye. They're in their dorm rooms doing their thronework and it's almost time for bed.

"Look, I don't know what that _means_ , okay? Riddlish is just that- absolutely ridiculous! See, I'll never understand you and you'll never understand me. That's just the way things work around here!" Duchess cries and looks back down on her thronework. But her mind is on Lizzie's words.

The crown upside down? A crown worn upside down sounds like it could hurt. Soon come around? Would that mean flipping the crown back right side up? Was this about destiny? Princesses? Duchess has no idea.

It's definitely not endearing when Lizzie says stuff like this.

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Lizzie is growing impatient with Duchess's 'no's. And she's not going to give in and stop asking, so she knows she needs something big.

Lizzie is clever, so she knows that she has to do it in front of the whole school. With everyone watching, Duchess will be so concerned about her reputation that she'll have to say yes. She'll look bad if she says no- right?

Lizzie thinks and thinks and finally she has the perfect thing. At least, she thinks it's perfect.

The next morning, Lizzie has Kitty stall Faybelle and Duchess since she needs the school's help for what she has planned. The cafetorium is abuzz, with everyone talking over each other.

The princess climbs up on to the Wonderlandian's usual table and clears her throat. "Attention, subjects!" she announces in a loud commanding voice. "Attention or OFF WITH YOUR HEADS!" No one gives her a glance- either because they aren't exactly her subjects or because they have gotten used to her 'off with your head!' calls. Lizzie stomps her foot in frustration.

Maddie giggles from her seat below Lizzie. "Silly! They won't listen because they're not your subjects! And you say off with your head a mazillion times!"

Lizzie frowns at Maddie. "How did you know that?" she demands. Maddie is unusual, but she might be right about this.

"The narrator, of course!" she giggles, hanging upside down and balancing her tea.

Lizzie shrugs and passes it off. Maddie is always doing stuff like this and making remarks to a supposed 'narrator'.

She takes two Wonderlandian cards out of her pocket and strikes them against each other so they magically make an explosion. ( **A/N- to all you Harry Potter fans: Exploding Snap, anyone?** ) Smoke erupts from the smoking cards and everyone turns to face Lizzie. The lunch lady has raised eyebrows but makes no such move to stop anything.

"Now!" Lizzie announces, clapping her hands twice firmly. "I believe you all have seen me ask Duchess Swan to go out with me a few times before. I wish to finally win her over with your help. I've written a song and ordered quite a few roses. It is remarkably cliché, but she does like these sort of things- I think. Will you…" Lizzie hesitates, because asking people for their help is a sign that she is weak. She takes a deep breath, thinks of Duchess, and breathes out. "Will you all help me?"

People are smiling, nodding, whispering to each other. They talk of how romantic it all is and how they would love to be part of it. Lizzie blushes and, filled with hope, whispers a 'thank you' softly.

"Well! Let's get started!" She announces and explains what she needs as everyone gathers around her.

This, she thinks, is perfect.

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It's later that night that Poppy O'Hair texts Duchess to meet her at the Enchanted Lake. Poppy is one of the few people whose company Duchess actually enjoys, so she changes into swan form and flies down to the grass. From there, she walks to the lake.

There's a curious light coming from the direction of the lake, and Duchess is confused. Did Poppy bring lanterns? _Stupid girl_ , she thinks. They would get caught and probably get detention for being out so late at the lake. What is she thinking?

It's when she ducks past a particularly thick tree that her eyes widen. That's when she takes a sharp breath in when she sees that most of the school is looking at her, smiling. It's when she takes in her surroundings and raises her eyebrows at dozens of roses scattered everywhere and candles lighting a path to a figure in a chair whose silhouette is dark against the dark night.

"Okay, I've clearly crashed something weird. Has anyone seen Poppy? Wait, why wasn't I invited to whatever you're doing?" Duchess frowns, moving to the side. She's eager to get all the eyes off of her- she can only imagine how they must be judging her.

Poppy steps out of the crowd and gestures towards the path that the candles are making. "It's for you. Go on, and just- keep an open mind, maybe?" The purple haired girl offers the swan princess a hesitant smile and goes back to her place next to Holly.

Duchess is confused. "For me? What? Is this… is this a prank?"

Apple White pipes up in the sugary voice that Duchess finds is the most annoying sound in the world. "Duchess, it's really something for you! Something good! Go on!"

Duchess shakes her head slightly but takes a step onto the path cautiously. When a net does not swoop down or Blondie Lockers does not pop up with her stupid camera, she releases a breath she didn't know she was holding in. And then she continues walking.

The candles are a breathtaking sight, she grudgingly admits in her mind. And the roses are a nice touch. But the oblivious girl is still confused on what it is for.

She sees a flash of red from the figure and squints, walking a bit faster.

Raven and Maddie from behind the figure light two candles besides the silhouette. And all of a sudden everything clicks into place in Duchess's mind.

"Lizzie?"

She's about to say a lot more, too, when Lizzie looks up and makes eye contact with her. And the gaze is electrifying itself, so intense that she can't look away.

The illuminated girl is holding a guitar and she strums it softly, picking out a tune. Then she starts singing softly.

' _Clear blue sky the day I met you_

 _Knew from the start I'd never forget you_

 _Never regret you'_

Lizzie looks down at the guitar she is playing for a second and breaks eye contact with Duchess. And then Duchess absorbs what is really happening.

She's close to tears and blinded with anger. Water stings her eyes and her heart burns. And, shaking, she screams at Lizzie. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

Lizzie's playing fades and she stops her careful singing. "What?"

"WHATEVER YOU SEE IN ME IS NOT REAL. I'M NOT A GOOD PERSON. I'M NOT WHOEVER YOUR MIND HAS MADE ME OUT TO BE, I'M NOT THAT PERSON. JUST STOP, OKAY? I AM NOT THE GIRL YOU THINK I AM." By this point, Duchess is sobbing and sinks to the ground. "I'm not what you want. I don't know what you see in me but you don't want who I actually am. Please, just leave."

Lizzie looks at the fragile girl in front of her and her heart breaks for her. How could she think this?

Handing her guitar to Raven, she gets up and kneels down next to Duchess. The Wonderlandian is probably getting her dress filthy- but that is the furthest thing from her mind.

She gathers the crying girl in her arms, ignoring the flinch from her. "Duchess Swan. How could you ever think that? I know who you are and I know exactly what I'm getting myself into. Look, I _live_ with you. We share a room. I know who you are, and _you_ are the person I want." She hugs Duchess a bit closer. "Sometimes I wish you could see yourself through my eyes. You're a beautiful, strong, intelligent girl. And you are worth everything."

"You are so much more. So much more than you give yourself credit for." Lizzie whispers into Duchess's hair. By now, Duchess is hanging on to Lizzie as she cries.

"Thank you." The swan princess breathes and dries her tears.

Lizzie pulls herself off the ground when Duchess is no longer leaning against her and offers the girl her hand. "Okay?"

Duchess smiles up at Lizzie and takes her hand. "Yes. Okay."

And it's then that both girls know that they will always have each other.

 **A/N: It's been a while, but a guest reviewer requested a Lizzie/Duchess one shot earlier and I thought this would turn out pretty cute. I hope you enjoyed reading it!**

 **I just realized that no one knows my name on here and my pen name is just 'PoppyOHair.' I won't be telling you my real name in case irls find this, but you can call me Lyn!**

 **A review would make me so so happy! Hope you have a good day, you wonderful people!**


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